Lets face it not everyone is a bass fishermen, some people enjoy catching those whiskered monsters we call catfish instead. Catfish and channel catfish more specifically have long been considered one of the easiest fish to grow and manage in private waters. It takes very little forage fish to set up an efficient channel catfish fishery. They can be stocked into almost any environment and will thrive. Small channel catfish are great for kids to catch and no fish fry is complete without their presence.

Channel catfish train within days to come to floating fish food and everyone enjoys watching them vacuum up food from the surface. With quality fish food channel catfish can put on a couple lbs of weight each year. They can even grow into massive specimen weighing over 25 lbs if given the time.

There are the obvious downfalls of feeding catfish including poor water quality and fish kills due to over feeding. But many pond owners are starting to discover a much larger downfall. As with many animals channel catfish become conditioned to their environment and the food sources in that environment. This means that when your fish feeder goes of at 6:30 P.M. everyday from the dock the catfish are waiting. However, this also means that over time they learn exactly what that fish food smells, looks, and taste like and anything that deviates from that fish food will slowly become less of a food source. What that translates to is hard to catch channel catfish.

They just don't care for your chicken liver, hot dogs, or shrimp anymore. Think like a channel catfish for a second there is free fish food everyday and you can eat it without harm but every time you bite down on a piece of bacon you get hooked. It doesn't take long for you to come to the same conclusion.

Sure as an angler you may still catch one or two but quickly the bite slows and you become frustrated with the fish that you can see but not catch. Some anglers turn to fish food paste, artificial fish food lures, and any way to get fish food on their hooks to catch catfish. Others turn off the feeder for weeks in advance to have a more successful fishing trip. Some go to more drastic lengths and begin seining, trapping, and bow fishing every catfish they can out of the fishery to eventually start over with a new crop of catfish that are not so picky, yet...

This problem is not reserved only for cat-fishermen. Many quality bass lakes are effected by a large channel catfish populations that bully ever other fish away from the feeder. Catfish quickly become a nuisance as your prized bluegill population swim away scared to eat that expensive aquamax fish food because of the sheer size of the monster catfish. To complicate the problem many bass lakes utilize structure that channel catfish will find suitable for reproduction. Channel catfish need a cave like structure to spawn in and the tires and rock piles designed to hold bass can make the perfect cave. Once the catfish begin to reproduce they can quickly over populate causing an exponential problem.

So whats the answer? Do you feed your channel catfish to create trophy sized fish and for the entertainment value or is it to big of a risk because you may be teaching them to not eat other food sources? I tend to say feed them but only a small amount, supplemental to the rest of their diet. That will keep them scavenging to fill their bellies. Also, when you are able, turn the feeder off a couple days before an extended fishing weekend. If you plan on having a trophy bass lake it may be best to not stock catfish but instead build a smaller catfish pond in another site.

Last week I drove with a potential client through a ranch looking for the perfect place to build a lake. Soil types, watershed, and budget were hot topics as we drove the paths and trails to each potential site. Eventually we reached the conclusion that without a greater budget the project needed to be put on hold. Soil and watershed just couldn't meet up to give us a worthy site and overcoming those limitations would be expensive. Although at this time his dream lake isn't possible he still has the ability to catch trophy fish if he knows were to look.

One solution is to lease fishing rights on a private lake. Several companies are available to assist fisherman in finding these leases. Leasing fishing rights benefits the lake owner not only financially but by having a work force to help manage the fishery through culling. As a fisherman you are able to fish the lake of your dreams without the cost associated with owning and managing the lake.

Private Water Fishing

Private Water Fishing offers fishermen exclusive access to over 50 properties throughout Texas and Oklahoma. Members pay an Initial Membership fee to join then a daily access fee to each property. Daily access is by reservation. Several of the lake offer lodging and usable boats. The Private Water Fishing website offers members a searchable database of each lake and its amenities. You can also find up to date fishing reports, classified adds, videos, and reserve the lake that fits your desires. Each lake is managed by Private Water Fishing's staff and is constantly improving.

Comanche Star Ranch

In Comanche county we have the Comanche Star Ranch with fishing leases offered through King Lake Management. The ranch offers a yearly fishing lease on 5 lakes totaling over 100 surface acres of water. There is also RV connections and boat storage for lessee use. The lakes are stocked with various species and managed to diversify fishing opportunities. Whether you are looking for trophy bass, channel catfish, crappie, or hybrid striped bass this ranch has a lake that offers the fish you are looking for. Forage fish and habitat improvements are being made to continually improve every lake. Their website provides a monthly newsletter for members, fishing reports, and periodic updates on ranch activities.